Villanova University Launches VuDL

Smart Libraries Newsletter
[June 2011]

Breeding, Marshall
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Copyright (c) 2011 ALA TechSource

Abstract: The Falvey Memorial Library of Villanova University, creator of VuFind, has launched a new open source development initiative to create a platform for managing a library's digital collections. VuDL will include a collection of tools needed to facilitate the management of digital collections. Some of the technologies underlying the system include the Orbeon Forms, an open source utility for processing Web forms encoded in XML, and eXist, a native XML database. Functional components include a built-in METS editor, tools for generating derivative images for presentation, an XML data repository, and an OAI server. VuDL will rely on VuFind as its enduser interface, and comes with the drivers that provide the connection layer.

The Falvey Memorial Library of Villanova University, creator of VuFind, has launched a new open source development initiative to create a platform for managing a library's digital collections. VuDL (http://vudl.org/) will include a collection of tools needed to facilitate the management of digital collections. Some of the technologies underlying the system include the Orbeon Forms (http://www.orbeon. com/), an open source utility for processing Web forms encoded in XML, and eXist, a native XML database. Functional components include a built-in METS editor, tools for generating derivative images for presentation, an XML data repository, and an OAI server. VuDL will rely on VuFind as its enduser interface, and comes with the drivers that provide the connection layer.

The development team announced the availability of an alpha version of the software in April 2011. The Falvey Library offers VuDL through the GPL open source software license and is available for download. The library indicates that it is interested in additional development partners.

VuDL builds on the success that the Falvey Library established with VuFind, which has become established as the most widely deployed open source discovery tool worldwide, with installations in twelve countries. Though in its early stages of development, VuDL shows promise as a digital library administration tool, created by an organization with an established track record for managing open source projects.